Monday, September 21, 2009

The Stanley Cup > Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.

For the uninformed, the Larry O'Brien Trophy is awarded to the NBA champions every year and was named after the former NBA commissioner. For the less informed the Stanley Cup is the trophy bestowed upon the best team in the NHL and is named after the former Governor General and hockey enthusiast. Growing up Canadian, the Stanley Cup is one of those iconic things you are just familiar with, like the golden arches. My earliest memory is Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders jubilantly hoisting the cup over his head in the early '80's. Conversely, Magic Johnson and the Lakers holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy and getting drenched by champagne is stuck in my psyche. While each trophy holds it's own significance with it's respective sport, the Stanley Cup only stays with the winning team for the year of their reign, they don't get to keep it, so it's time is limited. Furthermore, each member of the winning organization gets to have the Cup for one day, which makes up for interesting pictures like this...

The above photo was taken at Mario Lemieux's house this summer. Aside from being one of the NHL's best, he's also principal owner and Chairman of the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is how they get down folks! A book came out in 2001 entitled "Why is the Stanley Cup In Mario Lemieux's Swimming Pool?: How Winners Celebrate With The World's Most Famous Cup" which clearly illustrates that this isn't the first time the Cup has taken a dip in "Super Mario's" pool. A simple Google search of the Stanley Cup Trophy pulls up pics of players drinking out of or eating from the Cup, even sleeping with it, never mind the women posing suggestively with it, and those are the pics we have seen! When it comes to the Larry O'Brien it's mostly parade day pics and locker room stuff, nothing special, nothing risque. Is it because each NBA Champion gets their own trophy so there is no sense of urgency or significance? Or is it the hockey players passion to covet and obtain such an iconic symbol that drives them to go crazy?

With the Cup, there is only one, (or three rather), but if the Cup could talk, I'm quite confident there would be a number of NSFW stories and TMI to be shared. Can our good friend Larry O say the same? Likely not, which is why The Stanley Cup > The Larry O'Brien Trophy.